Butter machine



June i4, 1932. T CA ROWLAND 1,863,452

BUTTER MACHINE June 14, l932.

T. C. ROWLAND BUTTER MACHINE Filed May 2l, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented June 14, 1932 UNTD STATES TULLY C. ROWLAND, F FERRIS, TEXASBUTTER MACHINE Application filed May 21, 1931.

This invention relates to butter machines and has for an object toprovifle a butter machine having oppositely rotating interdigitatingdashers adapted to be driven at high I speed so that the butter willcome in approximately three minutes more or less, thus great-V lyspeeding up production.

A further object of the invention is to provide a butter machine inwhich the shafts of the dasliers are jointed to permit a quick reinovalof the dashers from the container as .gli

well as quick replacement of the dashers therein.

A further object is to provide a skeleton support or frame for thecontainer having a ring on the bottom plate for properly centering thecontainer.

A further object is to provide novel dashers so constructed as topromote thorough agi- ,i tation of the milk with minimum manual f. maybe resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departingfrom the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a butter machineconstructed in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the butter machine,

1 with the housing of the driving mechanism removed,

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the flashers assembled, anfl Fig.4 is a detail sectional view showing the i: construction of the jointsof the dasher shafts.

Serial No. 539,066.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of referencedesignate similar parts in the various views, the support orl frame ofthe butter machine is shown to comprise a top plate and a bottom plate11, said plates being spaced from each other and connected togetherpreferably by four corner legs 12. These parts are preferably formed ofmetal, and it will be observed, by referring to Fig. 1, that a ring 13is formed integral with the top face of the bottom plate 11.

A container 14, preferably formed of metal, is provided with a baseflange 15 which seats within the ring 13. The top of the container isclosed by a cover 16 which preferably is formed of wood and is providedwith a groove 17 to receive the top edge of the container. A socket 18is formed integral with the bottom of the container at the centerthereof.

By now referring to Fig. 3, it will be seen that a pair of dashers 19and 20 are provided. The flasher 19 is preferably rectangular inmarginal outline and is preferably formed of sheet metal stamped toproduce a substantially rectangular frame-21 and substantiallyrectangular vanes 22 which extend from the sides of the frame toward thecenter of the frame, the vanes being arranged in pairs, and the vanes ofeach pair being in alinement with each other and terminating short ofeach other at the free ends so as to permit a space existingtherebetween to receive the mating dasher, which will presently bedescribed. rllhe vanes 22 are provided with longitudinal openings 23which aresubstantiallj7 rectangular in outline.

The flasher is also preferably formed of sheet metal and is shaped toprovide an axial shaft 24 of suiiicient width to be rotatably receivedbetween the ends of the vanes 22 of the dasher 19. Vanes 25 projectlaterally from the shaft 24, the vanes being arranged to extend inpairs, as shown, the vanes on each side of the shaft being disposed inalinement with the similar vanes on the opposite sides of the shaftandbeing of suliicient width to be rotatably received in the spacesbetween the vanes 22 of the dasher 19. The

vanes 25 are provided with longitudinal '7- dashers are rotated inopposite directions relatively to each other at high speed by mechanisniwhich will be presently described, and, during such rotation, theinterdigitating vanes, equipped with corresponding escape. openings 23and 26, produce an extremely thorough agitation of the milk so as tobring the butter in from one to three minutes, in actnal practice, fromeither sweet or sour mil r.

By referring now to Figs. 1 and 3, it will be seen that the dasher 19 isprovided at the top and bottom with fianges 27 and 28, and the bottomflange is provided with an orifice 29, as best shown in Fig. 1, toreceive a gudgeon 30 carried by the shaft 24 of the dasher 20. Thegudgeon projects through said orifice and is journaled in the abovementioned socket 18 formed at the center of the bottom of the container14. This gudgeon also, it will be observed, forms a bearing upon `whichthe dasher 19 is rotatably'mounted at the bottom.

The flange 2T at the top of the dasher 19 is provided with a centrallydisposed upright tube 31 which opens through the fiange and which, aswill hereinafter appear, forms one section of a tubular shaft forrotating the dasher.

rlhe top edge of the tube is provided with a notch to receive a ratchettooth 33 formed integralwith the reduced lower end 34 of a sleeve 35, asshown in Fig. 4. The sleeve is slidably fitted on the lower end of atube 36 by means of a pin 37 projecting from the tube into alongitudinal bayonet slot 38 formed in the sleeve. The lower end of theslot is offset from the axis of the slot to provide a sea-t 39 intowhich the pin may be lodged when the sleeve is slid upwardly on the tube36 to hold the sleeve raised and disengage the tooth 33 from the notch32.

The above described tube 31, sleeve 35, and tube 36 form a tubular shaftwhich may be said to be provided with a separable joint provided by theratchet tooth 33 and notch 32 to permit disassembly of the dasher fromthe shaft when the sliding sleeve is moved upwardly.

The ratchet tooth permits rotation of both tubes 31 and 36 of thetubular shaft as a unit in one direction. It also permits the lower tube31 to stand stationary when the direction of rotation of the crankhandle is reversed, for then the ratchettooth 33 rides' out of its notchand the sleeve rides up on dasher 20, by slowly rotating same, to gatherthe butter, after the butter is made.

A shaft 40 for the dasher 20 is rotatably received in the tubular shaftof the dasher 19. The shaft 40 is split transversely within theenclosure of the sleeve to provide a step joint 41. The lower section 42of the shaft passes downwardly beyond the tubular shaft and is grooved,as shown at 43, to embrace the upper edge of the axial shaft 24 of thedasherJ 20, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3..v

rlhe shafts of both dashers are rotated oppositely to each other bymechanism which will now be described. The shaft 40 is equipped at thetop with a bevel pinion 44, and the tubular shaft is equipped with abevel pinion 45. A bevel gear 46 is disposed to mesh with both pinionsand is fixedV to a shaft 47 which carries a flywheel 48 and also a gearpinion 49. The ends of the shafts are journaled in suitable bearings 50and 51 rising from the top plate 10 of the frame. The bearing 51 isangular in outline, as best shown in Fig. 2, to also provide anadditional bearing 52 for a shaft 53 which carries at one end a gear 54disposed in mesh with the pinion 49 and which is equipped at theopposite end with a crank handle 55. A suitable housing 56 is disposedto enclose the gear mechanism and is equipped with a bearing- 57 which,as best shown in Fig.. 1, rotatably receives the upper end of the shaft40. Preferably, the gear ratios are such as to rotate the dasher shaftsoppositely at a speed of about seven times more or less the speed of thecrank shaft 53.

To disassemble the parts for cleansing, it is simply necessary to slidethe sleeve 35 of the tubularV shaft upwardly and give it a lateral twistto seat the pin 37 in the odset end 39 of the slot 38. In this positionof the sleeve, the tooth 33 is disengaged from the notch 32, while, atthe same time, the step joint 41 of the shaft 40 is exposed below thesleeve. Consequently. the joints of both shafts are disconnected topermit of the container 14 being tilted up and removed bodily from theframe. Access to the flashers, of' course, is then .afforded by simplyremoving the cover 16, whereupon'both dashers may be removed as a unitfrom the containerand thereafter separated for thorough washing. Toassemble the parts, the above described cycle of operations is reversed.

` From the above description it is thought that the construction andoperation of my invention will be clearly understood without furtherexplanation. f

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A butter machine comprising a frame, a container carried by theframe, dashers in the container having interdigitating vanes, a hollowshaft for rotatingone of the dashers,

a jointed shaft within the hollow shaft for rotating the other dasher,means carried by the frame for rotating both of said dashers oppositelyto each other, said hollow shaft being formed of tubular sections, and acoupling sleeve having a ratchet tooth and notch connection with one Iofthe sections and being slidably mounted on the other section by a pinand slot connection whereby said sections may be rotated as a unit inone direction or one of the sections may be uncoupled from the drivingmeans by the ratchet tooth riding out of the notch and the sleeve ridingup on the pin when the direction of rotation is reversed to let thedasher carried by the hollow shaft idle.

2. A butter machine comprising a frame, a container carried by theframe, dashers in the container having interdigitating vanes, a hollowshaft for rotating one of the dashers, a step jointed shaft housedwithin the hollow shaft for rotating the other dasher, means carried bythe frame for rotating said dashers oppositely to each other, saidhollow shaft being formed of tubular sections, and a sliding couplingsleeve on one of the sections having` a pin and bayonet joint connectiontherewith and having a ratchet tooth connection with the other sectionwhereby said sections may be rotated as a unit in one direction or oneof the sections may be maintained stationary when the direction ofrotation is reversed, said sleeve housing the joint of the step jointedshaft, manual upward movement- -of said sleeve engaging the pin in thelateral portion of the bayonet joint and disengaging the ratchet toothjoint of the hollow shaft and exposing the step joint of the other shaftto uncouple both shafts from the driving means and permit removal of thecontainer and dashers laterally from the frame.

3. A butter machine comprising a frame, a container, concentricallydisposed dashers in the container having interdigitating vanes, a

shaft for one of the dashers having a step joint, a tubular shaft forthe other dasher formed of aligned upper and lower sections, the lowersection having a notch in the upper edge, means carried by the frame forrotating both shafts in opposite directions, and a sleeve mounted on theupper sections of the tubular shaft and slidable longitudinally thereof,said sleeve having a ratchet tooth on the lower edge engaged in saidnotch to couple the sections of the tubular shaft together for rotationas a unit in one direction and uncouple said sections when the directionis reversed, said sleeve being provided with a longitudinal bayonet slothaving a lateral seat, the upper section of the tubular shaft beingprovided with a pin engaged in said slot, said sleeve being manuallymovable upward to disengage the ratchet tooth from the notch anduncouple the sections of the tubular shaft, said pin lodging in saidseat at the upper limit of movement of the sleeve and holding saidsleeve raised to eX- pose the joint of the step jointed shaft below thesleeve to permit the container with the dashers therein being removed asa unit laterally from the frame.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

TULLY C. ROWLAND.

Gil

